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Prefrontal Cortex and Addiction

January 6, 2015

The Prefrontal Cortex Plays Crucial Role in Addiction

Prefrontal cortexThe prefrontal cortex enables us to make rational, sound decisions. It also helps us to override impulsive urges that may trigger reactions that are not in the best of our interests. If acted upon, these impulses urges can cause us to act without thinking. It is the prefrontal cortex that helps you to even maintain sound relationships around you. Each and every day you may be confronted by this impulsive urge but it is the prefrontal cortex that helps us think rationally and help override the impulsive urges. Obviously, this ability to inhibit impulses is very helpful. It enables us to function well in society. It protects us from harm by allowing us to consider the consequences of our actions. However, when the pre-frontal cortex is not functioning correctly, the opposite occurs. Addiction causes changes to the prefrontal cortex. These changes account for two characteristics of addiction: impulsivity and compulsivity.

In the past years, the loss of control over drug intake that occurs in addiction was initially believed to result from disruption of subcortical reward circuits. However, current studies in addictive behaviors have identified a key involvement of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) both through its regulation of limbic reward regions and its involvement in higher-order executive function such as self-control, salience attribution and awareness.in this article we will try to revisit studies that have been done in the past so as to reach an understanding on how the prefrontal cortex is involved in drug addiction. Most studies have suggested that disruption of the PFC in addiction underlies not only compulsive drug taking but also accounts for the damaging behaviors that are associated with addiction and the loss of free will.

In a study where rats were used, it was found that stimulating a specific part of the brain reduces compulsive cocaine seeking. The finding proposes a potential approach to changing addictive behavior. This study and other studies that have been done show that the prefrontal cortex that is involved in decision-making and inhibitory response control is compromised in addiction. Deficits in the prefrontal cortex are involved in drug addiction The Deep-layer pyramidal pre-limbic cortex neurons; is a layer of cells that reach into areas of the brain that have been implicated in drug-seeking behaviors. Activating the Deep-layer pyramidal pre-limbic cortex neurons might reduce the rats’ cocaine seeking.

Medical experts and researchers agree that compulsive drug taking, which brings a myriad of health and social consequences, is one of the most challenging aspects of human drug addiction. In 2011, an estimated 1.4 million Americans age 12 and older were past-month cocaine users. No medications have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating cocaine addiction. Obviously, cocaine addiction doesn’t affect America alone but the whole world.

Animal model studies

Drs. Billy Chen and Antonello Bonci at NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have been using an animal model of cocaine addiction in a bid to gain insights into the neurobiology of compulsive drug use, trained rats learned to push levers to receive cocaine. When the cocaine doses were later followed by a mild electric shock to the foot, most rats stopped pushing the levers. Some rats, however, exhibited compulsive cocaine seeking by continuing to push the levers in spite of the foot shocks.

In this research, the researchers compared nerve cell firing patterns in the brains of the shock-sensitive and shock-resistant groups of rats. They studied a region of the prefrontal cortex that, in humans, is involved in decision making and inhibitory response control, which are both compromised in addiction. Their analysis focused on deep-layer pyramidal prelimbic cortex neurons because these cells reach into areas of the brain that have been implicated in drug-seeking behaviors. The study appeared online in Nature on April 3, 2013. The scientists found that almost twice as much current was needed to activate these neurons in compulsive cocaine-seeking rats than in the shock-sensitive rats or rats that hadn’t been exposed to cocaine. If these neurons are behind the rats’ compulsive behavior, the team reasoned, and then activating them might reduce the rats’ cocaine seeking behavior.

Prefrontal cortexFor this study the scientists employed a light-based genetic, or optogenetic, technique to activate or inhibit pyramidal neurons in the prelimbic cortex at will. They injected harmless viruses engineered to deliver genes for producing proteins that, once embedded in the neuron’s surface this could induce or inhibit the cells’ activity in response to light of specific wavelengths. Tiny optic fibers were implanted in the rats’ brains to deliver light pulses to the cells. As predicted, activating these brain cells reduced cocaine seeking in the compulsive, shock-resistant rats. Inhibiting the cells in shock-sensitive rats increased cocaine seeking during foot-shock sessions.

“This exciting study offers a new direction of research for the treatment of cocaine and possibly other addictions,” says NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow. “We already knew, mainly from human brain emerging studies, that deficits in the prefrontal cortex are involved in drug addiction. Now that we have learned how fundamental these deficits are, we feel more confident than ever about the therapeutic promise of targeting that part of the brain.”, he concluded.

“By targeting a specific portion of the prefrontal cortex, our hope is to reduce compulsive cocaine seeking and craving in patients.” Bonci said as he reiterated that his group is now planning clinical trials to test noninvasive methods for stimulating this brain region in people. Dr. Dalal Akoury of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Center has dedicated her life to helping addicts restore their lives by use of integrative medicine. Call her on (843) 213-1480 for help.

The Prefrontal Cortex Plays Crucial Role in Addiction

 

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Coffee Enema and It’s Role in Cancer Treatment

December 29, 2014

Coffee Enema’s Role in Cancer

The liver is an essential body part that aids in body detoxification. Through this process the liver gets rid of toxins in the body. This in turn enables the body to normally perform essential internal functions. In the case of cancer, the liver loses it functioning. For this reason, detoxification does not occur.

It is common knowledge that cancer is characterized by an over growth of cells. The body loses its control functions and the cells begin to grow uncontrollably. This leads to the formation of cancerous tumors. The cells forming the tumor end up releasing toxins into the host tissues mass. These toxins are associated with cancer pains.

In a cancer patient, the liver does not perform its detoxification functions. Toxins end up accumulating in the body and this causes a lot of pain. Cancer cells continue to multiply and more toxins are released in the body. The patient is therefore in a lot of pain.

The main treatment for cancer is removal of the cancerous tumor through surgery. Other methods such as chemo therapy and radiation therapy are applied to kill the cancerous cells and prevent them from multiplying. Others include such things as immune therapy, stem cell transplant e.g. bone marrow transplant, gene therapy among others.

Coffee Enema

Coffee Enema’s Role in Detoxification

Coffee enema is an internal cleansing purification of the liver that involves the detoxification of the liver. It also involves the cleansing of blood in general. This allows the liver to go back to its initial function of detoxifying the body. When the liver is healthy then the whole body is healthy.

Coffee enema has been used for years as an alternative for not only cancer therapy but also constipation. It works in cancer patients by detoxifying the liver by aiding the removal of wastes. This activates the cancer reversing process.

Most people feel indifferent about coffee enema process because it involves the anus. Many individuals prefer sipping their coffee than taking it through the rectum. What you did not know is that you might reap maximum benefits from the rectum process. The benefits of this process are high and complications area very rare. So why not go with it?

It is applied in the Gerson therapy where cancer patients are given about five coffee enemas in a day. Coffee enema assists the liver in detoxification process. Coffee Enema assists it in the removal of toxic substances to enable the body go back to its normal functioning.

When toxins accumulate in the body, to some of us our bodies are unable to fight these toxins. The liver is bombarded with so many functions that its effectiveness goes down drastically. It is unable to remove toxics and this translates to a lot of pain especially in cancer patients.

When a patient is put on the coffee enema therapy, juices, food and medication combine to form an effective fighting mechanism. This strengthens the immune system to be able to attack the tumor. The cancer cells surrounding the tumor are killed in the process. The process also flushes out the toxins that have accumulated in the body tissues. If the detoxification does not take place, the liver stands the risk of being overburdened and this could lead to its poisoning. This is extremely dangerous as it means a complete failure of the body processes. The liver is an important organ for detoxification. If it is poisoned it means that the toxins in the body accumulate and poison other organs. This could lead to a complete shutdown of the body leading to death.

The coffee enema is an important therapy as it ensures that the liver remains in top gear. It is able to detoxify the body and rid it of toxic substances that could poison it. In a cancer patient the liver is already damaged and is unable to carry out its functions. This therapy detoxifies the liver and it is able to go back to its functions.

Coffee Enema

Coffee Enema for cancer cure

The therapy works by opening up bile ducts and this helps the liver to release the accumulated waste products. Waste product accumulate for years from taking in of bad water, food additives and chemicals, poor air, viruses, toxic substances and germs. When they accumulate they form toxics in the body. In the case of cancer, the liver in itself is not able to detoxify the body and this therapy helps in getting rid of some toxins. The liver is thereby not overloaded with toxics and pain is reduced.

 

The Coffee Enema Therapy

The coffee enema therapy is cheap and can be done at home. All you need is to prepare the coffee just like you do with the one you drink. Pour the coffee in a bucket when it has cooled at room temperature. When done insert the tube into the bucket clamp it until the solution begins to fill up. Then insert it into the anus when lying down, open the clamp to allow the solution to flow and monitor the amount of coffee that goes in.

The bucket should be placed in a higher place to ensure the solution flows under pressure. In order to retain the coffee inside remain in that lying position for about 15 minutes. This will ensure that the solution is retained for long inside in order to reap maximum benefits. This therapy may be difficult for a first timer so ensure you consult with your medical practitioner before doing anything.

At AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center we provide you with the necessary health and wellness tips. Dr. Dalal Akoury is experienced in cancer matters. She will provide more expert opinion about coffee enema and cancer treatment.

Curing Cancer: Coffee Enema’s Role in Cancer

 

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Opiate Use Leads To Decreased Sex Hormone Levels

November 13, 2014

Opiate Use Leads To Decreased Sex Hormone Levels

opiate addictionOpiates have been used for a long time in pain management. They are the best in dealing with chronic pain and so have been used worldwide to help patients with chronic pain especially cancer patients to cope with their pain and promote their recovery. The use of opiates in pain management however is little understood by the general public especially because the media has never portrayed them favorably. However the public are slowly waking up to the realization that opiates are not as bad as they are purported to be but are very essential in our hospitals to day. They have become a necessity for analgesia and patients undergoing chronic [pain have become dependent on them. Without these opiates the patients will suffer greatly.

The use of opiates in treatment of chronic pain has however been associated with deficiency in androgens. Testosterone is one of the most crucial hormones in the body as they are responsible for sex. In case deficiency in testosterone a person will suffer low sex drive. It may lead to hypogonadism which today is one of the problems that see men weep in the night for failing to rise to occasion and satisfy the sexual needs of their marital partners. Apart from hypogonadism and low levels of androgens, the long term use of these opiates may also cause such problems as adrenal dysfunction, pituitary dysfunction, and abnormality in growth and reduced bone density. When a patient has used the opiates for a long time it lowers the levels of testosterone, it is this hormone that is responsible for masculinity, bone density and even sound sex life. All these problems arise as a result of decline in testosterone and other sex hormones, opiates use being the cause of the decline in the sex hormones. Several studies have revealed that long term use of opiates in pain management causes opiate induced hypogonadism characterized by very low levels of androgens especially the testosterone hormones. The use of opiates in pain management has not only been linked to decline in sex hormones but also abnormalities in glucose and lipid metabolism.

There some side effects that patients who have used opiates in managing pain for a long time suffer, these side effects are often well managed through myriads of medical practices that may also involve hormone therapy to restore balance in hormones and help evade all the gross problems that are associated with deficiency in crucial hormones in the body. Specifically symptoms that are often associated with opiate induced hypogonadism include sexual dysfunction, osteoporosis, lack of libido, low sex drive, reduced muscle mass and loss of strength in men. In most study reports osteoporosis and poor sex functions are credited to low levels of testosterone hormone. Women are also not spared since long term use of opiates will also alter the functions of estrogen hormones making them prone to these symptoms as well.

Hormone supplementation

opiate addictionA patient undergoing opiate treatment will suffer these side effects but all will be well after some time when they have broken free from the dependence on these drugs. The levels of testosterone will surge to normal levels and so will estrogen in women. This process occurs naturally, however some people will opt for hormone supplementation which may work as the process of treatment is going on but doctors advise that this may not be good as it discourages the body to signal its natural hormone production.

Patients have suffered opiate induced hypogonadism but most cases go unrecognized hence the patients are not easily helped to deal with the situation. The decline in testosterone levels is caused by opioid drug inhibition of Luteinizing Hormone often abbreviated as LH. LH is a pituitary hormone which is involved in testosterone production. LH also helps in direct inhibition of testosterone itself. It also causes the inhibition of the entire endocrine system and adrenal hormone suppression.

Researchers have also found that it is not only opiates that are used in pain management that causes decline in sex hormones and all the other symptoms associated with the fall in level of those hormones. Another cause of decline in these sex hormones is the treatments that are used to help the patients to overcome dependency on these opiates. These substances may include methadone which is commonly used in treating patients who have become dependent on opiates after long term use to manage pain. As shown in a new study treating opioid dependence with methadone can dramatically lower testosterone levels with men being the victims.

A cross-sectional study of more than 1000 adults led by Dr. Zena Samaan showed that the men who were treated with methadone for opioid addiction had roughly one quarter of the testosterone found in the men who did not use opioids. This study shows how methadone has adverse effects on testosterone levels in men. In women however there was no notable change.

“We expected that men would have lower testosterone. That was not something new,” principal investigator Zainab (Zena) Samaan, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences in the School of Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, told Medscape Medical News.

“What was surprising was the magnitude of the reduction,” Dr. Samaan concluded.

She opined that doctors should be updated by following research findings on this issue so that they will know how to manage these symptoms that are associated with decline in testosterone. She encouraged doctors to check the hormonal levels of patients before putting them on opioid therapy and continue with this check in regular intervals to help manage testosterone levels.

There are various natural addiction treatment mechanisms that can help patients addicted to opiates other using methadone that may lead to decline in testosterone levels. Here at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center we encourage natural addiction training for physicians, Nurse, practitioners, Physician assistants and counselors so that they can avail a better alternative to opiates addicted patients. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is committed to availing help to every patient. Call on her at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for help.

Opiate Use Leads To Decreased Sex Hormone Levels

 

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Breast Thermography & Prediction of Cancer Risk

October 5, 2014

Breast Thermography and Cancer Risk Prediction

In this article, we shall look at breast thermorgraphy and cancer risk prediction. Our focus shall be on discussing what breast thermography is, how it works and its role in predicting the risk of breast cancer.

What is breast thermography?

Breast Thermography and Cancer Risk

Breast Thermography

Breast thermography is one of the methods that are used to examine the internal structure of breasts as a means of detecting the possibility of breast cancer developing. Detection of breast cancer is one of the important elements in the overall management of the disease. That is why there are many different procedures that have been developed to help doctors detect the presence of cancerous cells in the breast of a woman pretty fast.

One such method entails the use of mammograms. These are special images that are generated using x-rays to view the internal structure of the breast as a way of testing for breast cancer. Mammograms have proven to be effective in screening procedures for breast cancer so far. Another one is biopsy. This is the most complicated and effective method of detecting breast cancer. Tissues are removed from the breast and subjected to thorough examination in the laboratory for the presence of abnormal cancer cells. It is actually the last step in the detection process.

Lastly, breast thermography is based on the idea that diseased tissues do have a higher rate of biochemical activity and, therefore, emit a higher level of radiation than the other normal tissues. The method uses this logic to generate an internal view of the tissues of the breast.

What is the procedure for thermography?

Naturally, the human body emits a form of radiation known as infrared radiation. There is nothing new in this for nearly all objects emit this form of radiation, what matters is the type of radiation that is emitted in terms of its range. When properly functioning, the emission of radiation from the body is actually uniform. However, when cancer is developing at any part of the body, there is always abnormal activity taking place at the cellular level in the region.

The abnormal activity is seen in several ways. First, the cancer cells seek to get extra supply of blood through the process of angiogenesis. This increases the biochemical reactions taking place in the tissues in which cancer is developing. Second, the cells seek to induce development of their own supply systems within the body. Once again, this causes hyper cellular activity. Third, cancer cells tend to break away from the original lump and spread to other areas where they can invade healthy cells and grow afresh. Known as metastasis, this process increases the biochemical activity at the cellular level.

Using specialized equipment, doctors are able to get images of the breast tissues by stimulating specific reactions to the body. For example, using special procedures, doctors can stimulate the body to cool down suddenly and then observe what parts of the body (the breast tissue in this case) fail to cool down relative to the rest of the body. Such parts are marked for possible presence of cancer cells.

Highly advanced cameras are able to detect such anomalies in the biochemical activity of cells and translate them to highly complicated images that are interpreted by specialists. The results of breast thermography are not enough for a diagnosis of breast cancer to be made on a patient. What usually happens is that breast thermography is used as an initial procedure. The results determine whether or not other additional tests should be carried out. Besides, thermography has been successfully used to monitor the progress of treatment in patients of breast cancer. Therefore, its uses are diverse.

Role of breast thermography in cancer risk prediction

Breast Thermography and Cancer Risk Basically, this procedure has been hailed as an effective way of detecting the possible development of breast cancer in patients quite early. When properly used, breast thermography can play an important role in detecting the risk of breast cancer early thus allowing doctors to tackle the risk using the right measures.

There are several ways in which breast thermography is a useful tool in breast cancer risk prediction. For example, the procedure is usually used in conjunction with other clinical procedures to ensure that cases of breast cancer are detected early enough to allow for successful use of appropriate therapies. Usually, breast thermography is used in conjunction with mammograms and biopsy to detect and make accurate diagnosis in patients before a specific therapy is recommended.

Also, breast thermography plays a role in managing the risk of breast cancer by being used as a tool for ordinary breast checkups. Since the method is completely safe and quite fast, it is used as a means of conducting checks on the conditions of the breasts of patients on a regular basis. Studies have indicated that this approach produces positive results over the long term.

Further, when used for the first time on a patient and the results indicate an abnormal image of the breast tissue, the results of this method have been useful in accurately indicating the possibility of one developing breast cancer in the future. Therefore, when one gets a positive result from this test, it has been the norm to institute the right measures to ensure that if the inevitable occurs, it can be tackled quite easily and fast.

Breast cancer is a common health problem today. Here at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center, we have devoted our resources to helping patients of breast cancer go through treatment quite fast and effectively. We use various alternative treatment methods to reduce the side effects and boost the effectiveness of the treatment method being used. We are located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Feel free to visit us or contact Dr. Dalal Akoury, a renowned cancer specialist for personalized solutions.

Breast Thermography and Cancer Risk Prediction

 

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Mitochondrial Restoration and Cancer Treatment

July 5, 2014

How Mitochondrial Restoration is Essential for Cancer Treatment

Cancer diagnosis has gradually become a worrying threat to patients all over the globe with the number of those diagnosed with the killer disease increasing every decade. Statistics in countries such as the US, India, and Canada which have unsuccessfully devoted a lot of resources in researching for the ultimate cancer cure show that millions of people are diagnosed with cancer every year despite the massive technological advancements.

Cancer has by and by grown into a global epidemic of overwhelming proportions with the statistics in the early 1900s showing that one in 20 people developed cancer, ‘40s one in 16 people developed cancer, in the 1970s the number was one in 10 while today it is one in three!

Mitochondrial Restoration

The overall death rates are falling in spite of the alarming rates of cancer incidences as a result of the so called 40-year ‘war on cancer’. Awareness creation on cancer has been farce. A deeper understanding on the same has been achieved that comprehensively have reduced its mortality cases worldwide.

Increased medical research on cancer in the recent decades have revealed how mitochondria play a central role in the propagation of the disease given the necessary conditions. As such, mitochondria have become key organelles involved by researchers and therapists in chemotherapy-induced apoptosis.

Researchers have given priority to the relationship between mitochondria, Reactive Oxygen Species signaling and activation of survival pathways under hypoxic conditions as the core subject of increased study. There is speculation that insights into the mechanisms involved in ROS signaling may offer ways of facilitating discovery specific cancer therapies.

These studies have noted that chemicals, viruses and various radiations are responsible for inducing mutations in genes encoding cancer causing proteins which in turn give rise to the disease.

A number of interrelated processes are involved in the formation of cancer in this manner, in which mitochondria, the ‘cellular power plants’ involved in cellular differentiation, signaling, cell death as well as the control of cell growth and cycle; play a central role.

The condition where parts of the body are deprived of oxygen (hypoxia) as well as stressful conditions of nutrient deprivation especially lack of glucose have been identified to promote the process of malignant transformation when a low percentage of cells maneuver and overcome cellular senescence through certain mutations.

Studies have identified cellular stress in the form of hypoxic as well as glycemic conditions as two of the major triggering events for cancer. Oncoproteins, or proteins encoded by oncogenes which have the potential to cause the transformation of a cell into a tumor cell if introduced into it, usually reinforce the process of cancer formation by altering gene expression to bring about a common set of changes in mitochondrial function and activity in cancer cells.

The cancer cells follow a program that do not conform to the normal cell behavior. The cell proliferation that is not regulated leads to formation of cellular masses that extend beyond the resting vasculature and this results in oxygen and nutrient deprivation.

The resulting condition of hypoxia then triggers a number of critical adaptations that enable cancer cells to survive. In this condition the process of apoptosis is suppressed and the glucose metabolism is altered.

Hypoxia causes elevation in mitochondrial production of chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen known as reactive oxygen species or ROS.

Scientific investigations over the recent decades suggest that oxygen depletion thus stimulates mitochondria to compensate increased reactive oxygen species (ROS).  This activates signaling pathways that promotes cancer cells survival and the growth of the tumor in a condition where the cells that escape senescent elimination emerge with oncogenic mutations and become immortalized tumors.

In this regard, studies have established that directing attention to the mitochondrial dysfunction responsible for the particular cancerous condition would be a lot effective in treating cancer. These mitochondrial disorders may be caused by mutations as already mentioned or acquired or inherited in the mitochondrial DNA as well as in nuclear genes that provide coding for mitochondrial components.

Mitochondrial Restoration

An understanding of the exact nature of the disorder in question is a key prerequisite to establishing an accurate therapeutic approach to the particular mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent treatment to cancer resulting from the same.

Scientists suggest the ATP Profile as the recommended test in diagnosing a number of the mitochondrial disorders, though research into this test is still underway to establish it as fully workable. It involves blood assessment at several levels which include the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) – the primary form of energy in the body and generated by the mitochondria.

The intermediate form of energy in the body also found in the blood, Adenosine Diphosphate (ADP) is also included in the test. This is used by mitochondria to make ATP. Studies have shown that the more severe the dysfunction the more severe the symptoms. With the results from the diagnosis, a number of supplements can be used to remedy the disorder with specific recommendations from the doctor. A common example that various doctors recommend is riboflavin or vitamin B2 for correcting mitochondrial problems. This should be accompanied with physical therapy that help improve range of motion and dexterity.

How Mitochondrial Restoration is Essential for Cancer Treatment

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